The best home team in the NBA takes on a compelling challenge from the East as the Brooklyn Nets travel to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz (10:00 AM on NBA TV Philippines).
Despite recent setbacks, the Jazz are still this season’s crème de la crème. Their 31-11 record is still the best in both conferences and they have been particularly ruthless in home games.
The Jazz remain unshakeable in their own backyard, boasting a 16-game winning streak at the Vivint Arena. They shoot 46.8 from their home floor, including a thundering 17.2 makes from beyond the arc. Led by perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate Rudy Gobert, they also have the number one defensive rating in their stadium, limiting opponents to 105.5 points.
Donovan Mitchell and his season average of 25.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.5 assists will be the catalyst for the Jazz. Guards Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson will also be pivotal as they try to put up more numbers at home. Clarkson gets to around 17.5 points in the 42 games he’s played so far, but he seems more comfortable at home, as highlighted by his 18.2-point average. Conley’s output of 16.4 points also jumps to 18.1 when he gets cooking at the Vivint Arena.
The Jazz are a tough nut to crack in their own city and that’s why their matchup with the Nets, who carry an offensive sledgehammer, will be captivating to watch.
Even without one of the top 10 best players in the league in Kevin Durant, the Nets are still a rampaging juggernaut hellbent to change the league landscape through offensive versatility. The Nets produce a league-best 120.1 points per game (Jazz are third with 116.8 points) and they’re No. 1 in offensive rating at 117.9.
On the road, the Nets are potentially more dangerous despite their 13-8 record away from the Barclays Center. In opposing arenas, the James Harden-led offense churns a league-best 59.1 Effective Field Goal percentage, 62.2 True Shooting clip, and 120.1 offensive rating. These numbers on the road are even better than their averages at home.
The Nets will fly to Utah without Durant who is in his “critical last stage of rehab” according to head coach Steve Nash. The former league MVP has been out since midway through February and has played only a total of 19 games so far for Brooklyn. Kyrie Irving, the other part of the Nets’ Big Three, will also miss Thursday’s game due to family matters. He sat out their last game in Portland and will be out for the rest of their road trip that concludes in Detroit.
Harden was actually a game-time decision in the Nets’ 116-112 recent win against the Trail Blazers with a sore neck. According to ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Harden will play on the second night of a back-to-back against the Jazz if he feels good, saying “I don’t really rest… I love to be out there and be there for my teammates.”
Do the short-handed Nets have enough firepower to take down the Jazz in the league’s toughest arena this season?
Undefeated for 16 straight games at home, the Jazz take on James Harden and the Nets to open their four-game stretch in Salt Lake City.
